


Spies (and Agents) Like Us

by kiss_me_cassie



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Female Friendship, Implied Clint Barton/Natasha Romanov - Freeform, Past Clint Barton/Bobbi Morse, minor bobbi morse/lance hunter, not movie compliant, spoilers for S2 AoS
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-06
Updated: 2015-11-06
Packaged: 2018-04-30 06:00:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5152931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiss_me_cassie/pseuds/kiss_me_cassie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"So I can either use my tricks on you, or you can just tell me honestly, because I refuse to lie to him. How are you, really?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Spies (and Agents) Like Us

**Author's Note:**

> This story is a recipe of canons, mixing a heaping cup of Agents of SHIELD, with a spoonful of Marvel movieverse, a dash of Marvel comicverse, and a tiny pinch of Marvel fanon.
> 
> Thanks to Kristen for the read through and encouragement.

If the boredom of lying in bed during recovery was the worst thing to happen to her, Bobbi knew she shouldn't complain. But all the downtime was starting to get to her. It left her too much time in her own head, thinking things to death.

But things started to look up when a diminutive redhead suddenly showed up in her doorway. Daisy had said something earlier that day about the Black Widow at SHIELD, but Bobbi knew better than to listen to rumors or expect the woman to stop in. She was glad that she did, though.

"Hi," Bobbi greeted her with a small smile as she entered the room and approached the bed. She made a show of looking past her toward the doorway. "Clint with you?"

Natasha shook her head. "He's out somewhere in the wilds of Canada."

"Something I should be worried about?" Bobbi asked, concern marring her expression even though she knew if Nat was here it couldn't be too big of a thing.

"Nah. He's off having fun with a new friend who likes long range shooting nearly as much as he does."

"Ah." Bobbi shifted around in the bed a little to get more comfortable. "Convenient. Gives him an excuse to send you to check up on me instead of showing up himself and risking running into Lance."

"That too." Natasha paused for a moment and her small smile faded. "He's worried about you."

Bobbi's smile tightened. "He can join the club."

"Lance?"

"Lance, Coulson, May… Although apparently not enough for her to stick around."

"I heard." There was another pause and then she asked, "You sticking around?"

Bobbi's silence lasted a long time before she finally answered. "Wasn't planning on it. But Lance can be very convincing." She was quiet another moment and then asked, "How did you hear?"

Natasha shrugged, ever one to keep her secrets close. 

Bobbi sighed. "I don't know if I can keep doing this. It was one thing when it was just me. Or me and a team, who I cared about professionally, but not personally. And we were backed by a huge organization..." She shook her head and asked Natasha, "How do _you_ keep doing it?"

"There's red in my ledger I still need to wipe out," she said matter-of-factly. Then she winked conspiratorially. "Besides, who's going to keep Clint out of trouble if I quit?"

It hurt to laugh, but Bobbi couldn't help herself. As talented as the man was on his own, he was definitely better when he had a stalwart partner at his side. "That's true. He might get tempted to bring in more strays."

Natasha snorted. "He already has. In addition to the new friend, there's a girl he found in Central Park. Very talented, but impulsive. He's been training her."

Bobbi rolled her eyes. "Sounds like him." 

"You know what he's like." Then Natasha sobered again. "So I can either use my tricks on you, or you can just tell me honestly, because I refuse to lie to him. How are you, really?"

"Sore. Frustrated. _Bored_." She hesitated a moment. "Worried."

Natasha sat quietly, waiting for her to elaborate.

"When I worked with Clint, we were young. Invincible. Nothing touched us. And then after we split… I was out of the field and Clint had partnered with you." She stopped to gather her thoughts. "When I met Lance, he wasn't SHIELD. Somehow, that made a difference. Or at least it did for a while." She paused again before cocking her head at Natasha. "Did they tell you it came down to me or him?"

"I guessed."

"You've been there." Natasha didn't answer but Bobbi knew. She and Clint may have been over and done for years now, but they still talked. And on occasion, he still confessed his deepest, darkest fears to her. "Either Lance was going to win the day but get himself killed, or I was going to sacrifice myself to keep him alive. That's the moment I decided I'd rather die having each others' backs than live without him."

Natasha nodded, and Bobbi knew she understood better than almost anyone else. The redhead shifted, gracefully rising to her feet. "It's not a bad thing, you know. Having each other."

"That's what scares me so much," Bobbi confessed.

"Don't," Natasha warned. "Don't think about what could happen or might happen. Don't analyze it. Nothing good ever comes from that."

Bobbi nodded, knowing she was right. "So when you get back to New York… you'll tell Clint I'm fine?"

Natasha gave her a small smile. "I'll tell him you're getting there."

"Fair enough," Bobbi answered as the other woman headed for the door. "Hey, Natasha?"

"Yeah?" she asked, turning back slightly.

"Thanks."

"For what?" Natasha asked, puzzled. 

Bobbi grinned. "A lot, actually. But right now? For coming here. And for being there for _him_."

"No place else I'd rather be," she said, and then she was gone, leaving Bobbi alone with her thoughts once more.


End file.
